This application claims priority from U.S. provisional patent application Serial No. 60/270,807, filed Feb. 23, 2001, the entire contents of which being incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention relates generally to exhaust systems for vehicles and, more specifically, to a system for a pick-up truck that provides a pair of vertical exhaust stacks.
Generally speaking, an exhaust system of a vehicle routes exhaust gases from the exhaust ports of the vehicle""s engine to a position remote from the engine. The exhaust system typically includes an exhaust manifold connected to the exhaust ports of the engine, a catalytic converter or other pollution control device, a muffler or other sound control device, and tubing interconnecting the manifold, catalytic converter, and muffler. In most passenger vehicles, the exhaust system extends from a front mounted engine underneath the vehicle. The exhaust system has a rear-most portion, often referred to as the tailpipe, that exits near the rear of the vehicle. The exhaust system may consist of a single or dual pipes for a portion of, or the entire length, of the exhaust system. Some commercial vehicles have exhaust systems that extend upwardly from the vehicle along one or both sides of the vehicle and terminate in an upper end near or above the top of the vehicle. These upwardly extending exhaust pipes are sometimes referred to as exhaust stacks. Many owners of pickup trucks like the looks of upwardly extending exhaust stacks. However, providing upwardly extending exhaust stacks on a passenger vehicle is typically costly and complicated.
The present invention provides a dual stack exhaust system for a pickup truck that may be provided as a part of a truck or as a conversion system. The system is designed for use with a pickup truck of the type having a cab and a bed extending rearwardly from the cab. The bed has a load floor that is bounded by a front wall adjacent a cab and a pair of side walls. The bed may have an opening defined therein, such as in the load floor. The truck has an engine and an exhaust pipe extending rearwardly under the cab to an outlet end. An exhaust coupler has one end in fluid communication with the outlet end of the exhaust pipe and a second end in fluid communication with the first end. A hollow elongated collector is disposed on the floor of the truck bed adjacent the front wall. The collector has a first end and an opposed end with the midportion therebetween. The collector has an outlet defined in the midportion, with the inlet connected to the second end of the coupler through the opening of the bed such that exhaust flowing from the second end of the coupler flows into the collector. The collector also has a first outlet defined in the first end and a second outlet defined in the second end, with the outlets being in fluid communication with the inlet, such that exhaust flowing into the inlet flows out of the outlets. A first tubular exhaust stack has a lower end connected to the first outlet and extends generally vertically upwardly therefrom to an open upper end such that exhaust introduced into the lower end flows out of the upper end. A second tubular exhaust stack has a lower end connected to the second outlet and extends vertically upwardly therefrom to an open upper end such that exhaust introduced into the lower end flows out of the upper end.